A home extension is often a permitted development and doesn’t need planning permission
Many people are surprised to know that in most cases it is possible to extend your home without requiring planning permission. Like all rules there are exceptions, therefore knowing your way round these rules are important. Three key exceptions to being able to build without planning permission are:
- if you have already extended as far as your permitted development rights will allow you
- if you live in a listed building, in which case you have no permitted development rights
- if you live in a conservation area, in which case your permitted development rights will be restricted or removed.
The Government’s Planning Portal website provides a wealth of information on planning and building regulations. This guide in particular will help you decide if your planned home extension would be considered permitted development or if it would need planning permission.
The benefits of your home extension being considered permitted development
If you are able to extend without needing to seek planning permission, your project will undoubtedly take less time to complete: gaining planning permission typically anywhere between eight weeks and three months. It also means you won’t need to draw up a full set of plans or elevations, saving a great deal of work.
The benefits of drawing up plans for your home extension
However, it is still almost impossible to build even a simple extension without first testing your ideas on paper beforehand. After all, it is cheaper to make a mistake on a piece of paper than in bricks and mortar.
Practically speaking, by drawing up plans you will be able to communicate your ideas to those who will need to cost and build it. They can also been used by a building contractor in order to give you both a firm price for the building works and a timescale of how long the project will take to complete.
Aesthetically speaking, it allows you to think carefully about how the extension will fit with your existing home. If you realise you have made a mistake once the extension is being built you have two solutions. You can either rectify it – increasing costs and delaying completion. Or you can live with it, potentially reducing the potential the extension had to enhance your home and your lifestyle. Carefully considering the options beforehand allows you to see your idea brought to life, consider options and iron out problems early on.
Detailed plans help you get what you want from your home extension
In short, having a detailed set of plans for your extension offers practical, aesthetic and financial benefits. At Communion, we find that people really enjoy the interactive experience of allowing us to work alongside them. More importantly, they love the fact they get something truly unique, completely designed to their specific needs. Working with us puts you control of the process, giving you control over the costs and, ultimately, gives you what you want from your home.
